Cattle-guard



(No Model.)

P. L. BRADY. GATTLE GUARD.

' Figl wel A h v H11 1 UNITED STATES PATENT EErcE.

PETER L. BRADY, OF HEARNE, TEXAS.

CATTLE-GUARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 515,140, dated February 20, 1894.

Application iiled May 5, 1893. Serial N- 473,l16. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PETER L. BRADY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hearne, in the county of Robertson and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Cattle-Guard, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in cattle guards for railway crossings, the objects in View being to provide a simple device designed to deter cattle from crossing or traveling in the direction of railway tracks,

` such device being arranged so as to provide an insecure footing for the stock without injuring theirlives or limbs; and, furthermore, to provide a device of the class described which Will offer no obstruction to articles depending from passing trains or to cattle which have been struck and are carried to the crossing by trains.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will appear in the following description and the novel features thereof Will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings-Figure l is aperspective View of a portion of a railroad bed and crossing with a cattle guard constructed in accordance with my invention arranged in the operative'position. Fig. 2 is a plan view partly in section. Fig. is a vertical sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. t is a plan view showing a somewhat modified arrangement of parts.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the draw' ings.

l represents the rails and 2 the ties upon which said rails are fixed. Guard-plates 3 are disposed parallel with the track rails, one being arranged adjacent to each side of each rail and a similar plate being arranged at the terminals of the ties upon each side of the track. These guard-plates are permanently secured to the ties in a vertical position and are arranged sufficiently close to the sides of the rails and to the terminals of the ties to prevent stock from passing either between the rails and the plates or around the ends of the ties. The guard-plates are provided with aligned bearings 4 in which are mounted trunnions 5 upon the extremities of the rollers 6, such rollers being constructed of circular heads or 'disks 7 and radially disposed Wings 8 terminating at their outer edges approximately Hush with the peripheries of the heads or disks and connected together at their inner edges. Theouteredgesofthesewingsareserrated or toothed,and while, in the construction illustrated, only four wings are shown it will be understood that any desired number may be employed. These rollers are loosely mounted in their bearings and are designed to turn freely when stepped upon or touched, the nuinberof rollers being immaterial to myinvention and being dependent upon the number of tracks and the location in which the guard is used. In the construction illustrated the rollers are arranged in series with one or more located between the track rails and one or more upon each side of said rails thereby ex-V tending entirely across the road bed.

Secured to the ties and located between the ends of the guard-plates 3 are triangular supplemental guard-plates 9, Whose extremities are approximately flush with those of the guard-plates and which extend inward or toward the rollers so as to close the interval and prevent the cattle from obtaining afoot ing adjacent to the rollers. The guard-plates 3 and the supplemental plates 9are provided with beveled outer edges or ends which are serrated or toothed, as shown at lO,iu asimilar manner to the outer edges of the Wings of the rollers.

Thus far the description has been conlined to one portion or section of my improved guard,but the parts are duplicated and may be arranged in any manner suitable to the location inwhich the guard is placed.

The operation of such device as I have illustrated and described is well understood, and, therefore, needs no detail description herein.

It is a well known fact that cattle will not cross where they find that the support upon which they depend is yielding or rolling, and hence Will'at once back from the crossing as soon as the hoof is placed upon the yielding Wing of the roller. The guard-plates terminate at their upper edges slightly above the plane ofthe treads of the rails and the upper sides of the rollers project slightly above the upper edges of said guard-plates. In case of IOO stock being struck by a passing train and ldragged along the track, or in case of a chain or coupling depending loosely from a train, the guard will form no obstruction toits'passage owing to the free rotation of the rollers and their projection above the plane of the tracks and of the upper edges of the guards.

In the construction shown in Fig. 4 I have dispensed with the supplemental plates 9 and have substituted therefor a transversely disposed plate ll, which is supported at its extremities by means of the plates 3. Similar plates 1l Vare arranged between each two parallel rollers, the object of such plates being to prevent stock, when attempting to cross the guard, from having their hoots caught between two contiguous rollers.

Changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction maybe resorted to Without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention.

Having described my invention, What I claim is- 1. In a cattle guard, the combination with suitable supports, of rollers mounted in bearings in said supports and comprising terminal parallel heads or disks provided upon their outer sides With trunnions to fit in said bearings, and radially disposed Wings arranged between and secured to the said heads or disks and having their outer orfree edges serrated, substantially as specified.

2. In a cattle guard, the combination with parallel guard plates 3 arranged parallel with the track rails and having beveled and serrated ends, a Winged roller mounted in bearings in said guard plates, and supplemuental guard plates disposed parallel with and spaced between the front ends of the side guard plates and terminating at their rear ends in front of the roller and adjacent thereto, the said supplemental plates being beveled and serrated to correspond with the side plates, substantially as specified.

3. In a cattle guard, the combination with guard plates arranged parallel with and adjacent to the track rails and at intervals therefrom upon each side, of rollers rotatably mounted in bearings in said guard-platea'and supplemental guard-plates arranged at intervals between the extremities of the guardplates and extending to the peripheries of the rollers, substantially as specified.

4. In a cattle guard, the combination of guard-plates arranged parallel with the track rails and having beveled extremities provided With serrations or teeth, the rollers mounted in bearings in said guard-plates and disposed transversely to the line of the track rails, and beveled and serrated supplemental guardplates disposed at intervals between the extremities of said guard-plates and terminating at their inner ends adjacent to the peripheries of the rollers, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

PETER L. BRADY.

Witnesses:

J. E. BISHOP, S. E. BATHERWOOD. 

